


They Call Him Blossom

by KASPIAN (orphan_account)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, M/M, Romance & Fluff, Shapeshifter!jongin, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 18:58:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16603703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/KASPIAN
Summary: There's a man who comes around to pluck berries in the ever-growing forest and its lively and varied areas in the mountains. A man with a strange scent that has settled a longing in Jongin's heart, even before Jongin knew of him.





	They Call Him Blossom

 

Jongin flattens himself against the bush, hiding between the leaves from a good distance.

The human is here again.

He’s got onyx hair, pale skin, narrow shoulders and a skinny frame, and he whimpers under his breath and claws at the earth, visibly in pain.

The circumstances are different this time.

Usually, this man comes here to pluck berries in the ever-growing forest and its lively and varied areas, here in the mountains, but this time the man sits on his knees and curses under his breath.

His left ankle is swollen and has a dangerous blue streaking down to the foot beneath the shoes as it seems, and he must have injured himself on the way up here.

Jongin’s wolf ears whir on his head.

He’s not sure what he’s supposed to do. Shape shifters in his category do not mingle with humans, because supposedly, Jongin’s kin is not assumed to exist – to a human’s belief, at least, and Jongin’s not always too good at morphing into his human form.

He can look like an average human being, save for his ears and tail and canine teeth, but otherwise he prefers to stay in his wolf form – one with a large presence, a golden brown flank and a mocha brown stripe down the back.

Yet now he sits there, and he has seen this human come by and hum with a wonderful voice many times, but Jongin has only lured from afar and been too curious for his own good.

The weather is worthwhile, but dusk is soon dawning and he’s not sure if the human can get home safely this time, considering that an accident must have happened – and all the stranger has is his attire and nothing more.

Jongin sighs under his breath and waits to see if the human will get anywhere or might whip out one of those phone devices they like so much, the ones that can give them allowance to connect with other fellow beings from a distance.

Nothing happens.

The man tries to stand up several times and to limp ahead, but it seems like it hurts too much and he looks like he’s sweating a bit, sounding fatigued too. Jongin can almost smell the bad state of the ankle, and he groans quietly because he wants to help, but he’s not assumed to do so.

He figures it might be too weird to see a human with wolf ears and a tail.

He shrinks back and soundlessly morphs into his wolf form, trotting around the bushes and in a circle around the man, still covered in the shadows.

The human freezes when he hears a twig snap behind him, and his shoulders hunch up.

His eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets when he sees a wolf stand further ahead in the opening – and this one is not a wolf of the average size, but is big and majestic – and also very dangerous looking.

The human makes a jostled sound and promptly turns around and sits on his , doing his best to wriggle away, his in- and exhaling turning frantic as he shakes his head and whimpers, saying ‘’no, no, no please no-‘’

Jongin is confused, because he wants to help.

He remembers that humans are not too fond of wolves, and that primal wolves are not too fond of humans either.

He makes a light sound and trots closer, but this only makes the human scrunch his eyes closed and tears collect there as he begs Jongin to stay away - panicking and thrashing around.

Jongin whimpers too and shifts his stance, ears flattening against his scalp. He bows his head and shuffles closer nonetheless, tail wagging lightly, even if the stranger starts screaming for help and cries aloud.

Jongin nudges his snout against the bared ankle and gives it a tentative , and notices how the man jolts and looks back, surprised, suddenly stilling.

It seems that this works, so Jongin does it again and presses against the bad area with his cold nose, looking up at the human in return from the way he has shrunk himself down and lies on his paws and hind legs, tail thumping lightly behind him.

The human is still sniffling, eyes bloodshot and face looking frantic, but his brows no longer arch and he gulps.

Jongin blinks and he dares not to move in fright that the human will get scared again.

He the area again with a slow , as if to say  _ ‘please don’t worry.’ _

The man sits there for a while, just staring.

‘’You’re-‘’ he tries, and his voice is thick with the earlier fright.

‘’You’re not going to eat me?’’ he asks, almost timidly, and from this angle his eyes are even wider, even prettier despite the tear stains. Jongin finds himself lightly barking in return, even if the man flinches.

He huddles closer and nudges his snout into the man’s stomach, and the man only half-screams but dulls it again when he realizes that the wolf is  _ cuddling _ him.

Jongin raises his head, letting the man look into his eyes.

He leans in and presses his nose to the man’s own, and then gives it a long from the pert nose tip to the space between his eyebrows, and the man yelps and then laughs, nudging the saliva away with the back of his hand.

‘’Gross,’’ he says, but Jongin is just happy he no longer sounds so scared.

The man looks somewhat suspicious. ‘’I didn’t… didn’t know they had tame wolves here,’’ he says, but the tone wavers and he sounds unsure.

After another couple of minutes of staring and of Jongin sitting tall behind the spread legs, as big he is, the other finally moves.

The human reaches an outstretched palm forward, as if to pet Jongin, fingers shaking.

Jongin immediately makes sure to react and presses into the touch with his forehead, ears perked up, making muffled noises of glee when the man begins to pat him and laughs when Jongin him again.

The man sounds confused though once the wolf starts nudging its snout beneath one armpit as if to make him get up.

Jongin knows where the nearest town is located, so he figures he might as well carry the man there.

He’s just not sure how he’s supposed to say that to the man.

‘’Wh- what do you want?’’ the stranger asks, eyebrows raised and nose still puffy, sniffling slightly

Jongin removes himself and turns to his side some feet away, bowing down, snarling low in his throat but in a friendly way.

The man doesn’t seem to understand this, so Jongin comes closer and nips at his shirt, trying to drag him ahead.

Jongin complains again in a language the man does not understand, bowing down once more, tail whipping back and forth and the pads of his paws pressing into the ground.

‘’Do… do you want me to ride you?’’ the human asks, sounding almost timid, looking around as if someone is going to appear and yell  _ ‘pranked!’ _

However, Jongin nods in his wolf form in an exaggerated way and flops with his paws, rather looking like a puppy than a humongous wolf.

The man gulps, surprised that the wolf understands, as far as it seems.

He shuffles closer on his knees, still tentative, but grabs a fistful of Jongin’s fur on the back. He checks how Jongin does not falter but still lies down, waiting for the man to hop on.

The man winces and groans under his breath when he has to support himself on one foot, swinging a leg over Jongin’s back and settling himself, shaking lightly and still as hesitant as ever.

He settles himself until he’s comfortable, and for a wolf, Jongin’s back is broad enough for the man to sit somewhat nicely.

‘’You’re… you’re like some were-wolf sized dog,’’ the man mutters, resting his head on the start of Jongin’s shoulders.

Jongin huffs and raises himself, resulting that the other yelps.

He trots around to check if the man is going to fall off, but everything is clear, so he starts walking in a good tempo so that they might reach the village before it gets dark.

‘’I’m… I’m Kyungsoo,’’ the man whispers, looking around as good as he can, careful of his ankle. ‘’I- where are we going?’’ he then asks, voice cracking over, sounding dazed and confused.

Jongin makes a woozy sound and another snarl, but nothing more – secretly mulling over the name.

Kyungsoo.

It gives him a pleasant tingle in his chest, so he speeds the pace due to his good mood.

Kyungsoo must be tired from the earlier struggling, from his panicked and vulnerable state, so he falls asleep along the way.

Jongin has to rustle himself and his fur to wake him up, and Kyungsoo is bleary-eyed but gasps when he sees the lights from the city from the hill.

He gets down, cursing when he accidentally puts some pressure on his bad ankle.

Jongin’s ears perk in curiosity when Kyungsoo whips that strange phone device out from the back of his pocket, tapping the touch-screen.

Kyungsoo catches the gaze.

‘’Oh-‘’ he says, blinking. ‘’I mean- I couldn’t use it in the forest since there was no signal, so…’’ he stops.

‘’But you’re a wolf, so… so you don’t understand that,’’ he laughs to himself and shakes his head. ‘’Um. I think.’’ He supports himself with one hand on Jongin, standing on one foot.

Jongin says nothing but relishes in the hold and nuzzles his head against Kyungsoo’s thigh, to which he receives a somewhat fond look from Kyungsoo.

‘’My friend is going to come and pick me up in… in just a few minutes. He can track me with this iPhone, since there’s… there’s some sort of app on it.’’ Kyungsoo talks about everything and nothing, assuming that Jongin isn’t going to hear any of it.

Kyungsoo explains that he fell on his way into the deeper part of the forest in one of the sneaky holes between some of the bushes -  and thus got his leg stuck, twisted his ankle too in a way that made it swell, pick color and hurt.

Jongin startles when he hears another voice – someone who’s calling Kyungsoo’s name.

It’s gotten darker now, almost at dusk, and Jongin inches away.

Kyungsoo nearly stumbles and asks ‘’where- where are you going?’’ leaning down and onto the ground so that he doesn’t take a fall.

Jongin trots closer and Kyungsoo’s cheek one last time. He turns around then, and leaves - hiding in the bushes, even if Kyungsoo calls out and asks again.

Jongin stays in the dark until he sees another man appear, one who scolds Kyungsoo for being out so late and for having gotten himself injured – but who also supports him and pets him lightly on the back, checking the swollen area too.

Jongin only leaves when the two of them are turning their noses towards the city, though he catches the way Kyungsoo keeps looking back and into the forest, as if he expects Jongin to stand in the opening.

Jongin grows worried.

He knows he shouldn’t, but somehow he can’t help it.

He’s felt this before.

This feeling that harbors his insides and makes him feel restless, makes it harder to rest at night where he will howl at the night sky and then grumble when sleep doesn’t come easily.

He knows the unexplainable feeling well and is familiar with it for some reason, but the tugging is different this time and much stronger. He’s not sure if he wants to know why.

He’s helped other people before, because Kyungsoo is far from the only one who comes here to visit this huge forest or its areas, since it is a vigorous place with beautiful sights and mountainsides, along with a few monuments and statues in certain locations.

Tourists come here too, and they can be clumsy and forget how to read a map or how to get back, so Jongin tends to get creative with how he helps them find back home, how to lead them to a road with signs.

Once or twice, if he’s concentrated deeply and if the help has been needed, he’s been able to retract his ears, tail and canine teeth too and thus looked like a human - and gone ahead.

It’s not always been a pleasant experience for the ones in need of the help, because when it happens Jongin is stark , lean and tan as he comes out from the bushes and, for some reason, knows just how to give the right directions.

Some people have been mortified, some worried and other flustered.

Jongin has never felt wrong about being , so he’s not one to mind it, even if he is timid by nature and knows of human shame regarding ness. However, in time, he’s forgotten how to retract the feral appendages – becoming rusty despite visiting a bigger city far away once or twice a month.

Altogether, devices and electronics just barely work in the villages around, and therefore not in the woods either, and the growth here can be a trap for some who are not used to it.

Jongin doesn’t show himself in his wolf form to others, though.

Even if signs with warnings about wildlife are set up around the roads or in the villages, he’s not one to flaunt himself.

He knows well that if he shows himself in the open, jackals from the older generation will stride forth with the location in mind, with guns and competitive intentions beneath, despite hunting being prohibited here.

Earnestly, Jongin might not even have noticed Kyungsoo if it’s not for the fact that through a very long time, Kyungsoo has kept intruding Jongin’s territory – repeatedly.

Back in time, Jongin only came here in this territory when he was a kid, only as a visitor when he had a human place to live in a district, another village, further away.

Years ago, he claimed this territory as his own once he became older and picked a side, and the human had started coming through the past year or so.  

On the other hand, Kyungsoo seems to live in the village that is the opening point for tourists and other cities, the biggest village in the district, at least.

Jongin’s territory is along one of the mountainsides, a special place he finds nice where a stream and a small river with a waterfall is located in a snug fit – a place where no one comes by but other animals who are driven away by the strong smell of an alpha’s mark.

However, Kyungsoo started coming all of sudden, and plucked the berries Jongin liked for himself.

Jongin had gotten awry and kept himself at a distance, but in time, he found himself curious about this certain human in particular. Something drew him closer, especially the human’s scent. It was clear and nice, warm almost.

Kyungsoo didn’t back out when he saw humongous paw prints in the mud… or when he noticed the scratches from claws on the bark along the points where Jongin had rubbed his scent out through the glands on his paws.

Kyungsoo just kept coming.

He was always humming a song under his breath, and sometimes he came to read a book – this deep into the forest that he knew and must know so well. He had apparently picked Jongin’s dent as his own, and sometimes took a brief dive in the small river even when the weather was a little cold, where Jongin had wondered what he was supposed to do.

The problem was that Jongin got used to Kyungsoo, and felt somehow familiar with his presence the first time he spotted him.

He got used to having this strange human around who found Jongin’s territory pleasant, and at last Jongin barely blinked an eye when Kyungsoo came by - but kept himself hidden, continuing his rest.

Thus, Jongin normalized the human’s scent.

There were times where Jongin was startled when he opened his eyes and found Kyungsoo trotting behind the bushes further ahead in a clear opening during middays, because Jongin had not noticed Kyungsoo’s presence, since his scent meant no danger, but instead something familiar and acknowledged.

Now, Kyungsoo hasn’t been here for a long period since the ankle incident, and Jongin will even go as far as to say that more than a month has passed. It’s been the longest span of time where Kyungsoo hasn’t visited for the past year or so.

Jongin has gotten used to having Kyungsoo around, and due to the incident where Kyungsoo must have injured himself, Jongin finally got a closer look and somehow conversed with him too, though Jongin had been hesitant about it before – distanced himself, as he’s done for a very long time with his family as well.

He knows this feeling well. The pull in his chest that he’s never been able to explain, the one that has been there for years before Kyungsoo came around this part of the forest. The one that seems to be reserved for only one thing on forehand. It's strange, because now it has an aim.

Because Jongin has, without intending to, allowed Kyungsoo to get a little closer to him than what he might like.

Though something tells him that maybe...

Maybe that spot has always been waiting for something - or  _ someone  _ certain. 

Jongin wakes up with a start in the middle of everything, from where he's resting beneath one of his favorite crooked trees as he hears a twig snap from somewhere close by.

He wriggles his nose, and he’s usually very alert or observant if anything foreign is near, but he smells or hears nothing out of the norm.

His eyes do widen when he spots an intruder further ahead, just a few meters away from him, and he raises his head, ears perking up, noticing the sudden sound of erratic in- and exhaling.

It’s Kyungsoo.

Jongin holds his breath and thinks that maybe he might be imagining things, but then he remembers how he has subconsciously awaited a visit from Kyungsoo, and therefore Kyungsoo is allowed to be in the territory.

Kyungsoo stands there, wearing one of his usual attires; some sneakers, jeans and a sweatshirt – round glasses perched atop the brink of his nose, ones he only occasionally wears. He’s got a book tightly held to his chest, and Jongin realizes that as much as this tree might be one of his favorite places to rest, it’s Kyungsoo’s too.

Jongin is still in his wolf form, but he’s never been caught like this, even if Kyungsoo’s visits can be sudden.

He sits still, looking ahead.

Kyungsoo looks just as wary, even more so, with that terrified look upon his face from the first time Jongin had shown himself for him.

The difference this time is that there’s also a new sort of hesitation and curiosity there, the way Kyungsoo shifts the weight on his feet alternately, a nervous gesture – as if he’s unsure if he should run away or step closer.

His knuckles are whitening from gripping the book, and he gulps and looks like he’s not sure what he’s supposed to do, blowing some unruly bangs out of his face.

Jongin rustles a bit; raising himself on his paws to stand up, and despite being in his wolf form, from his head he only needs a few centimeters to be as tall as Kyungsoo.

Maybe Kyungsoo recognizes him, despite the month that has passed.

In addition, Jongin is strangely comforted by the fact that Kyungsoo is back; that Kyungsoo still wants to come here.

Meaning Jongin doesn’t need to worry anymore, even if he knows he shouldn’t have done so in the first place.

Kyungsoo is still not moving, though – and rather looks like he’s about to melt out of his own skin.

Suddenly, Jongin flops down onto the ground again, but this time he rolls over and displays his stomach, and the motion makes a big  _ ‘flump’  _ and some leaves flutter from his weight.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

His ears are still perking, one raised and one down as his tail starts wagging.

This is against what he’s done before, but Kyungsoo’s trust means a lot right now, and if Jongin has to shed his pride to earn it, then so be it.

He makes a dull sound, a small huff, blinks his eyes, sticks his tongue out, and lets it loll from the side.

The prickly feeling of embarrassment rolls over him when Kyungsoo continues to stare.

The wolf is just about to stick his tail between his legs, the big bad alpha, and run away – but Kyungsoo treads closer.

‘’Do… do you remember me?’’ he asks, holding the book up in front of the half of his face now, back hunched a bit.

Jongin stops panting and makes a small yap, and proceeds to slobber his tongue out again, doing his best to look like he does.

It’s not every day one gets to see a lion-sized wolf roll over and play scratch, he glumly thinks and grumbles a bit, because the position is uncomfortable. He briefly recalls that he might not be as adorable as he was when he was a pup and did this trick in front of his parents or the older relatives around town.

Kyungsoo’s eyes change though, and he steps closer in a side-ways drag, and it takes a few minutes but at last, he stands before Jongin, one arm stretched out and the other holding the book close to himself.

Jongin stills when Kyungsoo reaches a hand down, brushing a palm over the fur on Jongin’s stomach.

Kyungsoo’s lower lip wobbles and he looks amazed, barely containing his glee when Jongin allows him.

Kyungsoo lets the book fall down and then extends both of his arms, softly running his hands over the soft, wide stomach, and Jongin internally grins at the childish expression on the human’s face, as if a dream has come true.

‘’It’s really you,’’ he hears Kyungsoo say, and Jongin changes his position so that he’s lying on his side but has his front propped up, no longer strained to act like a family dog.

Kyungsoo’s gaze flickers from Jongin’s stomach to his snout and face, still a little nervous, but it diminishes as Jongin Kyungsoo’s cheek, and Kyungsoo laughs – a heart-shaped smile forming there as he starts petting Jongin on the head as well, rubbing him behind the ears when he knows it’s safe enough.

Jongin leans into the touches and lets Kyungsoo probe around and get familiar, letting him know that Jongin means no danger.

Jongin feels strangely at ease in his heart as long as Kyungsoo is close and doesn’t smell of fear.

Kyungsoo perches a hand around Jongin’s throat, as if he’s looking for a tag. ‘’I wonder who your owner is,’’ he mumbles, and finds nothing. ‘’You have a name, don’t you?’’

He keeps talking to himself as he pets around, inspecting Jongin. ‘’You must be some new breed of a kind, right? A… a tame wolf of a sort,’’ he scrunches his nose up and looks contemplative.

‘’What if your name was dog,’’ Kyungsoo grins to himself, and despite being a man, he looks like a child with that heart-shaped grin upon his face as he kneads his palms into the fur, finally looking at ease.

Jongin tries to make a suspicious expression, but he huffs instead and gives Kyungsoo a warm look.

Kyungsoo sits down in front of Jongin’s middle, pushing the book a little away as his eyes rake over Jongin’s humongous form.

‘’Thought it was a dream, you know.’’ His gaze flickers up.

‘’I thought… I might’ve eaten some bad mushrooms and sprained my ankle, and that my friend found me. I don’t know, really.’’

His speech is a little flighty. ‘’Oh and… my ankle is fine now, by the way. Just a minor injury, nothing… nothing bad.’’ His expression changes a bit and he sighs heavily.

‘’My mom got furious though, even if I’m old enough to take care of myself.’’

Running a hand through his own hair in mild annoyance, he breathes out. ‘’She went into that mom-mode again; you know… She’s kind of really protective, and she told my friends to keep an eye on me so that I wouldn’t go into the woods again the past month.’’

Jongin tilts his head at this.

He likes that Kyungsoo talks to him as if they’ve known each other for years. Baring oneself for an animal who’s capable of uttering no words is always easier, after all, because there’s no judgment one can receive in return, and the animal is not assumed to understand a thing.

He feels a little bad, because he understands everything.

But Kyungsoo doesn’t need to know what Jongin’s nature is, and so far Jongin is only some strange domestic wolf in the woods.

This is fine, so far.

Kyungsoo stops, raising himself on his shins.

‘’Can I…,’’ he inches a little closer. ‘’Can I sit here?’’ he points at Jongin’s stomach.

Jongin barks gently and bares himself, and Kyungsoo is a little hesitant, making sure not to put too much pressure when he turns around and rests his back against Jongin’s stomach.

Jongin curls up around him and rests his head on Kyungsoo’s thigh, noticing that Kyungsoo tenses up but only for a while.

The human begins to pet Jongin’s head, running stubby and small fingers over the snout, tracing the features and the ears.

‘’This is… surreal,’’ he mutters.

‘’I’m-‘’ a laughter bubbles from his throat and Jongin looks up. ‘’I’m like a protagonist from those Disney movies, right?’’

‘’We’re meant to be best friends or something.’’

He looks into Jongin’s eyes.

‘’Maybe you’re my guardian?’’

Kyungsoo gets an eye smile.

‘’A secret prince caged in a wolf’s form?’’ he suggests and laughs when Jongin huffs once more.

_ My soulmate. _

It’s comfortably silent for a while.

Kyungsoo might need some time to let the situation sink in.

‘’I still don’t know your name,’’ he mentions.

Another row of silence passes by, until Kyungsoo jerks a bit and his eyes light up as he says a  _ ‘ah!’ _

‘’Maybe you don’t have one?’’

Jongin finds this interesting, so he tilts his head on Kyungsoo’s thigh and widens his eyes, grunting softly in a little breathy withdraw.

‘’Okay then,’’ Kyungsoo bites his lower lip.

‘’I… I always wanted a dog named Kai,’’ he says. ‘’So now your name is Kai, is that okay?’’

The only one who has given Jongin a nickname has been his sister, which was  _ ‘Jonginnie’ _ , and Jongin’s friends called him  _ ‘nini’. _

Jongin makes a gleeful sound in agreement, and smiles in secretive because the name settles something pleasant in his chest.

Kyungsoo usually looks a little worried when he gets out here, though it also seems to be his place to let loose.

Now, Kyungsoo is smiling in such a gentle way that has Jongin’s heart growing an inch.

‘’My name is Do Kyungsoo,’’ he says, and he takes Jongin’s paw somewhat awkwardly, and Jongin has to raise his head.

Kyungsoo shakes it lightly. ‘’I’m twenty and I study in the college in my hometown, the only one it has, sort of. I- my father died when I turned eight or something, so I live with my mom for the time being.’’

He nods, ‘’it’s nice to meet you, Kai.’’

Jongin says nothing but Kyungsoo’s hand, and then rests his head on Kyungsoo’s lap when Kyungsoo has let go.

‘’I… um. I know it’s weird I stay home, right – but it’s because even if this is the biggest village in the forest district here, it’s pretty small anyway. Getting an apartment would be weird, kind of. I guess I’m short on money, too.’’

Jongin finds it cute that Kyungsoo feels like he has to explain himself, even to an audience who only looks back, blinks and occasionally makes a sound.

‘’In... Okay, you can’t tell this to anyone, right?’’ Kyungsoo raises a finger, and Jongin’s ears flick in interest.

‘’Well okay, um. But. I’ve got a scholarship in one of the universities in Daegu, because I did well on my exams,’’ he says, and it should be good news, but Kyungsoo sounds sad.

He wrenches his hands together and looks down. ‘’This is big for someone like me, with my household and economy, and all… But I don’t know if I can do it. I haven’t told my friends about it yet, and only my mother knows, and even- and even she is worried, as always.’’

‘’It’s like… if I leave, I’ll get to explore myself and get new sides… but I’ll also lose a lot, you know? My… my mom. My friends. Old lady Soojung. Uh, the- the tabby cats in the village. The grocery store keeper.’’

He sighs. ‘’I don’t know what someone like me should be doing in such a big city, because… I’ll lose so much. I’m just… I don’t know. I’m just Do Kyungsoo.’’

Jongin makes a dull sound, nuzzling closer to Kyungsoo.

‘’But… if I decide to go, I can live with my grandparents there – and they’re wealthy and all that… I haven’t seen them for years either. I can get to study what I want, and get to see the city life…’’

He pauses.

‘’But I won’t be seeing my mother as much anymore.’’

‘’And now, I realize I’d also have to leave you.’’

Jongin’s not sure what he’s supposed to say or do. He connects with the feeling of either leaving people behind or being left behind, even if their situations are different.

Jongin wasn’t ready to leave with his family, because he felt he still needed something from his home town. A feeling holding him back.

A feeling swarming around the person before him.

And now, the thought of Kyungsoo leaving, despite them being strangers, is unsettling.

Kyungsoo rubs some unshed tears away from his eyes and looks angry, but all he does is to mope and pout, and looks like a crest-fallen baby.

He stretches his arms above his head and yells out  **_‘’aahhh!’’_ ** and then settles down, flumping over Jongin’s stomach until the back of his head hits the forest floor, and his back is on draped over Jongin’s middle.

‘’I don’t know what to do,’’ he says. ‘’And now I’m here, spouting my troubles to a wolf as if it’s taken out of a fairy tale.’’

‘’Maybe I’m dreaming now, too.’’

‘’Kai, am I dreaming?’’ he asks.

Jongin looks over his own shoulder and tilts his head.

His ears flicker back and he howls until Kyungsoo jolts from the volume.

Kyungsoo laughs, and puts a hand over Jongin’s snout to make him stop.

‘’Okay, I’m not, I get it.’’

He sighs again, and sits closer to Jongin, not draped over him anymore.

‘’I’m sort of… happy.’’ He looks up at the crown of the tree craning in the wind. ‘’I’m sort of happy this isn’t a dream.’’

Jongin wants to say the same.

Kyungsoo looks at Jongin again after a while, though.

‘’What about you?’’ he asks. ‘’Do you have trouble with life decisions and growing up too?’’

He grins to himself and plucks some grass.

‘’Right,’’ he says when he gets no answer.

Jongin has never been much of a talker anyway, so he likes to listen to Kyungsoo’s voice, even if the undertone is a bit sad.

He rests his head on his paws now, sighing with his whole body.

He freezes though when arms lock around his neck, and it’s Kyungsoo who’s hugging him.

‘’Don’t worry, Kai,’’ Kyungsoo mutters, like he can read the other’s thoughts.

‘’You’re not the only one.’’

Jongin leans into the touch, strangely familiar with the words.

He perks up when Kyungsoo talks again –

‘’Maybe…,’’ Kyungsoo filters some fingers through Jongin’s fur, ‘’we can go somewhere together. Maybe this is a fateful meeting, don’t you think so? It can’t be a coincidence. You could be the wolf of wisdom. Or like I said before, my destined companion.’’

The human snuggles closer, sighing.

Jongin feels warm everywhere, and lighter in his heart, like he’s found a reason for it to be.

Kyungsoo continues; ‘’there’s so much of life ahead of us, so thinking that taking a wrong decision now would be too condemning. I know I’ll be going to the city anyhow, but I guess I just need the last push, whatever that’ll be. Someone to get me there.’’

It’s silent for a while, and a breeze travels through the trees.

‘’I think we’re going to be okay, Kai,’’ Kyungsoo whispers, a smile in his voice. A hint of hope.

Jongin closes his eyes to the soft lull of the human’s breathing and to the flow of a soft, sating scent.

He secretly agrees.

They’re going to be okay.

  
  
  



End file.
